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The people who take walks in the morning, the people who attend satsangs or daily morning mass in the church,
the people who do yoga, laughter sessions or gym… These people are very
proactive people. It takes a strong will to do that… and, do it every day, for
a long, long time. Making a small
promise to yourself and keeping it is the best way of building up your
self-esteem. When you make a promise to get up early every morning and take
walks, do yoga, attend satsangs or
Mass… or, do laughter sessions in the park or workouts in the gym, it really
means, you are taking charge of your mind. And, when you follow up, keep your
promise, you have to feel good about yourself. Your self-esteem soars up by a
few notches every time you do that…

This morning, I was on my way to
my class. I had to take a class at 8. Just outside my classes, I met a friend
of mine, an advocate, who was coming back from his walking-laughing sessions.
We stood there for about five minutes to talk; and, let me confes…

Oneof the Biblical messages received by me, today – Holy Good Friday – was
this:“The
Lord will fight for you;You
need only to be still.”EXODUS 14:4On a day like Good Friday, this message does make a lot of sense.

We Christians believe Jesus Christ
to be the Son of God. But, we also believe, that when He lived His life here on
this earth, He did it exactly as we did: He laughed and cried, He wondered and
surprised, He braved and feared, felt wounded and healed… worried, hoped and
loved… Yes, He went through the whole gambit of human experiences which any one
of us would.

When the most grueling time of
His life was nearing, He was wrought by the same human conflict: to fight or
flight. He found no strength left in Him to fight… He was tempted to ‘give up’
the fight… and flight. Yes, He was wrecked by fear, sorrow and loneliness.

Finally, Jesus goes, all alone,
into a quiet place called ‘Gethsemane
Garden’… There, He kneels
down and prays before God one of the most heart-wrenching prayers…

“How can I be
self-confident?” This
was my question as a young-man. And, that is still my question, even
now, when I am in my mid-fifties! Like thirst of my body, which
keeps recurring and makes me fulfill it, the thirst of my mind and heart – the
need to be self-confident – keeps recurring and seeks fulfillment. There isn’t any soul on this
planet who is free from this thirst… There isn’t any time in life, when he
doesn’t feel this deep thirst. From coming Monday onwards, I
shall be conducting series of sessions to some college-students to help them
build their self-confidence. So, the question comes to my mind: “What will I
tell them?” The first thing I am going to
tell them is this: We all are already self-confident in many areas of our lives. Like, in my case, I am
very confident when it comes to helping students in their Accountancy subjects.
But, even there, I am confident only in those chapters which I am familiar
with, which I have been repeatedly teaching over the years. But, if …

I
am writing this Post early in the morning. It is dark outside… very quiet… I am
absolutely undisturbed by any outside happenings… Mind is not agitated; it is
able to watch itself without getting clouded or bogged down… Mind tells me: That, there is enough strength in
me to deal with any challenge, any uncertainty… That, there is a way out of every
maze Life throws before me… That, no matter how harsh and
hell-bent many a people seem, there is, always, some way by which they come
around… That, the challenges are the only
medium through which, we are able to tap our creative resources… Discover our strengths,
explore new paths and stretch our limits… That, it is not prudent to decide
when mind is numb with fear… That, it is not sensible to judge
people, label them, when mind is wounded… That, patience pays… That, wisdom prevails… The storm ends… The ocean calms down… The skies turn brighter… The heart, hopeful… New, renewed! Theoutside agitation can not overpower me, if
I am able to deal with the a…

Itwas past mid-night. I was fast asleep. Someone called me at this time…
and, it broke my sleep. After the call ended, I went back to sleep… but, for
about half-an-hour, I just couldn’t catch a wink! I want to sleep… but, I can’t get
sleep. This is a peculiar situation. Well, for me, this situation came about by
this freak phone call. It was a pleasant discussion; still it robbed me of my
sleep. I knew, that ‘struggling to get sleep’ works exactly in the opposite
way: the more you struggle, the more you remain awake, frustrated. Sometimes,
the whole night long! In the past, I have done many
things to deal with such a problem: read a nice book, write something, complete
a pending job, take a warm shower, drink a glass of warm milk, watch a
programme on TV, put on the head phone and listen to some soft music… yes, I
have tried many things like this whenever my sleep was broken and I had problem
regaining it… Invariably, as I kept reading,
writing, watching a programme or listening to music…

Forsome days now, I have been watching these little birds building their nest,
just outside here. They have set their goal: to build a home for themselves…
and, they are so faithful and committed to the task of realizing it. I am
fascinated by their team work, their strong faith in the consistent work done
in almost molecule size – go far and wide in search of one tiny straw, at a
time… drop it here… and go back to fetch the next one…and, then, another… then, another… In every season, I have seen them
doing it here, unfailingly. When the nest is ready, it leaves me speechless:
“What a craftsmanship… What a masterpiece!” I marvel. And then, some one like
me, a human, comes and ‘clears off the mess’, in one single sweep… Gone! Just like another Emperor invades
the city of Agra
and pulls down Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal… Yes, as soon as he has finished building
it! In what way is the work of these
little sparrows less superior to Shah Jahan’s? And, in what way our act of
destroying their lovely m…

What is
good with my nation? Our news channels don’t tell me this. They tell me, what
is wrong with it… and, they tell me this relentlessly, remorselessly… every
night, everyday. They install a dozen experts to tell me why everything is
wrong with my nation and its government… Why we should grumble, complaint,
protest, ask or revolt. Turn to whichever channel you wish, you get the
same thing: half-a-dozen men and women arguing and going nowhere. Their
arguments are predictable, and the anchors impatience, too. It is night time… Nine p.m. It is supposed to be
an hour of my night prayers or supper. Instead, it has become the ‘News Hour’… No, it has become the ‘Noise Hour’! They need something bad, something very, very
bad, everyday to happen in my country… so that they can ‘feed this into my
mind’, each night, before I go to sleep… Just as, when I was small, my loving mother gave me a glass of warm milk
to drink before she put me to sleep, every night! When there is nothing sinister or mons…

A snake
sheds its skin, time to time, in order to facilitate its constant growth… to
make way for new skin. It has outgrown the old, doesn’t fit into it, any more…
So, it knows that the time has come to discard its old robe… it rubs itself to
a hard surface, starting from its nose till the skin comes off its tail… It is
one of Nature’s incredibly amazing scenes to behold... And, yes, it is, also,
one of Her most priceless lessons to us, the humans. There is another reason why a snake sheds its old
skin: to do away the parasites along the old skin. The parasites feast on snake’s
body… drinking its blood, eating up its skin and flesh. So, if the snake is
unwilling to let go of her old skin – however dear and beautiful it is - it
should be prepared to bear the consequences: suffer and perish! Now, imagine, someone is skinning this snake… The
way a chicken or a goat is skinned by us, the humans, to eat! Holding on, in our minds, to anything, which is
not useful to us anymore… is akin to a s…

In
life, the accountability comes only when we realize the limitations within
which we are expected to operate. The Law of Abundance makes sense only when we
respect the limitations set upon us… when we respect them.

A dear student did not respond to
my last evening’s message… Just a while ago, she called me to say, “Sir, I am
very sorry for not replying… There was no balance!” But, it doesn’t mean, she
comes from a poor family… In fact, it is to the contrary!

Even if I possess with me a
credit card with which I am able to have a good time now, I know the
consequences of blowing the money that way. Once bitten, twice shy…! Many of us
have learnt this precious truth the hard way…and, therefore, we think a hundred
times before flashing cards crazily anywhere.

The car that I drive may run at
200 kmh, even 400. But, I know where I am driving… and, what happens if I drive
with a speed like that…

There was
an interview in the newspaper, today, with Amish Tripathi, the author of the sensational Shiva Trilogy.
It was the typical last question: “What is your advice to aspiring writers?” This young author is currently in news. The
5-crore advance deal, even before Amish has decided on the theme… is no
small deal. So, the answer he is expected to give assumes importance. The
answer is something like this: “When you write, just focus on writing…
Literally shut yourself from every other concern or thought… including the
selling of your writings, the money and the fame. Write with total devotion… and,
once you're done with, try to sell it with equal devotion.” As I said, Amish’s answer, though not in these
words, conveyed the same message: Just write with all your heart… Don’t worry
about the money and the fame. It will follow, if you really deserve! And, this afternoon, I had with me my 19-year-old
student Advait. He is very fond of food… very passionate. So, he has joined one
of th…

“Your assumptions are your windows on the
world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the
light won't come in.” ― Isaac
Asimov

Iwas teaching a young
boy yesterday. “We say, an asset is ‘taken over’ by a partner, while we say, a
liability is ‘assumed’ by him,” I explained to him.

I have been teaching Accountancy for over three decades, and,
the above explanation is so routine that it goes without any student
questioning to me – “Why so?”… “Why can’t we say that an asset and liability
both ‘taken over’ by a partner?”… “Why we need to say that a liability is
‘assumed’ by him?”

Yes, everyone ‘assumes’ it is so… and, therefore, it is so.
It goes… Goes with the flow of teaching and learning!

But, it didn’t, with this young boy, last morning. He asked
me “But, why?”

So, I had to explain to him the meaning of the term – ‘Assumption’.

“What we take upon us, without questioning, without any proof
or explanation… is, generally, known as an ‘assumption’. Often, we do it
blindly… without even r…

'Passionate about Life.'... That's how I see myself. For me, the term 'passion' has a special meaning. It is living life with its totality... With all its hues and confusions, with all its triumphs and defeats.
I consider myself as a little kid, still groping in the dark -- trying to find a way out of this great maze. Sometimes, I wonder: whether there is a way out at all? Whether the maze itself is the way?
Thus, as a kid awe-struck by this amazing mystery called LIFE, I have a lot to share with my fellow kids. I believe, it would be an exciting and fulfilling journey, each morning...
I am, indeed, looking forward to each dawn, with fresh eyes... And my fresh note to share...
Love,
GERALD D'CUNHA